Westlake Water Solutions Reminds About Safety Risks Posed by Improper Pool Chlorination

Pool Chemistry Resources Support Summertime Proper Aquatic Chlorination

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Commercial pools around the country will soon open, ushering in the start of the summer season. In recognition of National Water Safety Month, which began on May 1^st, Westlake Water Solutions, a business unit of Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK); and NSF International, a leading public health and safety organization that provides testing and standards, are reminding health inspectors and pool operators about the importance of using properly specified chlorine tablets in their certified sanitizing systems.

“Along with the sun and fun that come with commercial water, it is important to properly chlorinate commercial pools with feeder systems that can keep up with degradation of chlorine due to heavy bather loads, rain and the sun’s ultraviolet rays,” said Austin Looper, director, Westlake Water Solutions business. “Organizations like NSF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Chemistry Council offer tools in the form of standards, codes and training videos to help safeguard against accidents and improper chemical application. For example, using chlorine tablets that are not NSF Standard 50 certified for use in their feeder can result in problems like over or insufficient chlorination of the water.”

“NSF International tests and certifies commercial and residential pool products to the requirements of NSF/ANSI/CAN 50,” according to Theresa Bellish, senior global managing director at NSF.

NSF’s Ann Arbor, Michigan, labs are recognized around the world for their accuracy to verify performance of chemical delivery systems and tablets, which are tested in conjunction with one another. Only chlorine tablets specified for use in a given system will maintain compliance to Standard 50, mandated by most states and local municipalities. For information concerning this and other water standards, visit www.nsf.org.

Westlake Water Solutions also reminds pools operators of the following resources available to them ahead of the Memorial Day weekend to help maintain healthy water:

• The American Chemistry Council’s chemical training video: American Chemistry Council video
• NSF 50 Certified Chemicals: www.nsf.org
• Certified Pool Operator Training: www.phta.org
• CDC’s Model Aquatic Health Code: www.cdc.gov/mahc
• National Water Safety Month nwsm.phta.org

For more information on Westlake Water Solutions and its Accu-Tab^® chlorination system, visit www.accu-tab.com or contact 1-800-245-2974.

About Westlake

Westlake is a global manufacturer and supplier of materials and innovative products that enhance life every day. Headquartered in Houston, with operations in Asia, Europe and North America, we provide the building blocks for vital solutions — from housing and construction, to packaging and healthcare, to automotive and consumer. For more information, visit the company's web site at www.westlake.com.

Whether it’s optimizing commercial aquatics, municipal wastewater and industrial applications, or safeguarding fresh meat and produce, Westlake Water Solutions has the chlorination expertise to enhance your life every day. As a manufacturer of calcium hypochlorite tablets, our innovative Accu-Tab^® three-inch tablet and feeder system has the versatility to meet a wide range of commercial and industrial chlorination needs.